Claim
by fYr3 ph03nix
Summary: Unraveling a misunderstanding and revealing the truth is usually harder than it seems. KyouyaKaoru, implied HikaruHaruhi, sort-of KaoruHikaru. Part III of III of the Asphyxiation series.


**Title: **Claim**  
Fandom: **Ouran High School Host Club**  
Pairing(s): **KyouyaKaoru, implied HikaruHaruhi, KaoruHikaru (sort of)**  
Genre: **angst/romance/drama**  
Type: **one-shot**  
Rating: **PG-13 (ish)**  
Other Notes: **swearing, sexual innuendos, part III of III of the Asphyxiation series**  
Disclaimer: **Sorry, don't own.**  
Summary:** _Unraveling a misunderstanding and revealing the truth is usually harder than it seems._**  
Word Count: **9,701+  
**AN: **Holy mother, this turned out to be monster. *headdesk* Well anyway, I actually finished this awhile ago (and edited a little on Thursday) but held off posting it until today 'cause it's Kyouya's birthday, yay! *throws confetti* Plus, I didn't think I'd be able to write another fic for him in time so I just used this one as his birthday fic. XD So I hope you all enjoy. =) More notes at the bottom.

_**Claim**_

"Kaoru?"

"Mph. . ."

A sigh, "C'mon, Kaoru, we're gonna be late."

The younger Hitachiin shifted and opened his eyes blearily. "What time is it?" he asked.

Hikaru rolled his eyes, "Time for you to get up, you lazy ass."

Kaoru buried his head in the pillow and a string of muffled words escaped him.

"What was that, dear brother?" Hikaru asked, teasing.

Kaoru suddenly sat up in bed eliciting a startled 'Eep!' from Hikaru as the younger one scratched the back of his head. "Ne, Hikaru," he said after a moment. "About yesterday. . ."

"Eh?"

Kaoru finally opened his eyes completely and looked up at his twin, "Thanks."

Their gazes locked, one serious and the other a little surprised, before Hikaru's trademark grin stretched across his face, "What are you talking about, idiot?" he ruffled Kaoru's hair, "Now hurry up and get ready!"

"Hai, hai," Kaoru waved Hikaru off and rolled out of bed, "Go away and don't bother me."

"Fine, I see how it is," he stuck his tongue out while retreating from the room.

Kaoru chuckled softly, glad for his brother's childish antics; it distracted him and gave him a sort of comfort. Though, he was also a bit surprised: usually Hikaru would rattle on, demanding to know what happened, but this time he pretended as if everything was fine. As if Kaoru hadn't bawled his eyes out on his twin's shoulder. Maybe Haruhi has had more influence on him than he thought. Come to think of it, he hadn't really been paying attention to Hikaru or Haruhi and their relationship. He was sure that there was _something _going on between them—they had been going out together more often now—but could it really be that they've advanced that far without him realizing?

Frowning, he pulled on his uniform and wondered how much he had missed when he was distracted by thoughts of Kyouya. He sighed; Kyouya was the reason why he had cried so blatantly yesterday, and it wasn't fake tears either—he was also sure that Hikaru knew this—and he was a little disturbed on how easily his wall was breached. _No matter, _he steeled his eyes, _it won't happen again_.

He had thought well and hard before falling asleep last night and he had come to the conclusion that he had no one to blame but himself; after all, _he _was the one who dropped in uninvited and barged into something he was never supposed to witness. _He _was the one stupid enough to actually develop feelings for the illustrious Shadow King. It was his own weakness that created this discord of emotion and he should have known that their relationship _didn't mean _anything. Sighing, he lazily adjusted his tie and shrugged on his blazer; it wasn't his place to question Kyouya's motives. Hell, he probably wouldn't even be able to understand them if he knew what they were.

Unable to hold it back, he smiled a little, albeit rather sadly. Kyouya was all about profit and benefit; of course he wouldn't have had a second thought in using Kaoru for his own interests. He let out a breath of air as he smoothed out the (non-existent) wrinkles in his clothes. Today would be the true test on how well he could act, whether or not he could fool Kyouya into thinking that nothing was amiss. He ought to be his usual self to prevent questions.

Kaoru glanced towards the clock and let out an undignified squawk. "Hikaru!" he screamed, just remembering to grab his bag before running full tilt out of the room, "We're fucking late!"

"I told you to hurry!" came the muted voice of his brother.

"Well thanks!" he shot back sarcastically. Kaoru raced down the stairs, grabbed Hikaru's arm just as he was about to stuff a piece of pancake drowned in maple syrup in his mouth, and started to drag his twin towards the door. Hikaru had dropped the fork and cried a disgruntled 'Kaoru!' which the younger one firmly ignored and continued on to the limousine. "Do you think we'll make it?" he asked his brother as soon as the chauffeur was pulling out onto the road.

"Dunno," Hikaru sulked opposite of Kaoru, "Don't care. Since when did _you _care whether or not we were on time?"

"Not this late, idiot!"

Hikaru huffed, "Whatever. You owe me a lunch."

"Fine."

"Better yet, you can be me today. Since you made me forget my bag and everything, rushing me out like that."

"WHAT?!"

Hikaru grinned devilishly.

* * *

So it was that Kaoru was acting like Hikaru for the day. Haruhi had disapproved but when Hikaru (as Kaoru) explained it to her, she shrugged and said that they could do whatever they wanted, as long as they didn't drag her into it. Kaoru had forgotten how fun it was to pretend to be Hikaru and as an extra plus, it kept his mind off of other things he didn't want to think about. Playing Hikaru took all of his concentration (since he hadn't done it in awhile and was a bit rusty) and he was glad for that.

Kaoru took the blame for being late and for leaving his (Hikaru's) bag at home. He also kept to his word and bought Hikaru lunch but when Hikaru had tried to cajole him into doing his homework for the rest of the week, Kaoru smacked him on the head and flat-out refused. Besides, missing one day's assignments didn't amount to a week's worth of work. Hikaru could do his own damn homework.

But Kaoru had to inwardly thank his brother for making him don the mask of 'Hikaru' for the day; maybe Hikaru was becoming more intuitive and realized that Kaoru needed a distraction due to the events of the previous day (though Kaoru thought that it was probably just dumb luck). In this moment in time, it was much easier to be 'Hikaru' than 'Kaoru' since Kaoru was sure that he probably would have slipped into a morose mood sooner or later. Being 'Hikaru' kept him on his toes and guaranteed Kaoru's attention. Despite his earlier thought on testing his acting skills as 'Kaoru' against Kyouya's acuity, Kaoru was infinitely glad that he would be 'Hikaru' when he would see Kyouya at club after school.

Whatever Hikaru's reasoning was (if there really was reasoning on his part), Kaoru kept himself preoccupied and entertained throughout the day and thoughts of the Shadow King were repressed from his mind.

* * *

Kyouya had entered the classroom that morning a little apprehensive. Yes, apprehensive. Because of a certain blond who had unwittingly revealed Kyouya's heart to Kyouya himself. Thankfully, whatever thoughts that had run through Tamaki's head the previous day were long gone and Tamaki was acting as his usual self. Kyouya didn't know what to think of it, really; just as he clears up one confusion, another one was dropped in his lap. And Kyouya hated being confused. It was quite infuriating.

Tamaki had _kissed_ him. And he, Ootori Kyouya, had turned away from a prime opportunity. He could have reaped a mountain of benefit if he had taken Tamaki's offer last night but realization had struck him before he went too far. The half-French half-Japanese boy was no longer the object of his desires; somehow, over the months, his affections had shifted to the younger Hitachiin twin. And when the epiphany had hit him, Kyouya had cleared up his muddled thoughts that had plagued him for the past week. However, despite organizing the disorder in his mind, Tamaki had barreled through and made a mess of it again.

Throughout the lecture, Kyouya burned a metaphorical hole in the back of Tamaki's head. Even after knowing the blond for years, he still had no idea how that crackpot, fruitcake and air-headed mind of his worked(1). But maybe that was a good thing: Gods knows what kinds of idiotic drabble went on in there.

He sighed and jotted down notes for show (the material was insanely simple), forcing himself to at least pretend he was paying attention. It wouldn't do to have people suspicious if he acted any differently than he usually did so Kyouya pushed thoughts of both the blond and the redhead out of his mind to focus on the day's lessons.

* * *

"Hikaru. . . I don't wanna go to club today," Kaoru whined, dropping his character when he, his twin, and Haruhi were the only ones left in the classroom. Kaoru sprawled the upper half of his body across his desk, further implying his disinterest.

"Tono'll throw a fit if you don't show up. Besides, what will I do without you there? Can't exactly do the 'forbidden brotherly love' act with only one brother, y'know."

'Forbidden brotherly love', huh? Funny how there really _was_ a 'forbidden' love and top of that, one-sided. But Kaoru didn't feel the usual stab of pain at the thought of having to _pretend _to be in love with his brother; the night before had opened Kaoru's eyes to the truth—no matter how cliché it may sound. Hikaru was his brother, and he did love him, very much. But it had subsided to pure sibling affection and his love had shifted to. . . Kyouya.

Damn, not thinking about the Shadow King had done wonders to Kaoru's emotional state but just that one stray thought had thrown him back into a depressed mood. Now he _really _didn't want to go to club. "But y'know," Kaoru said, forcing normalcy, "You can always do it with Haruhi, ne?" He leered up at his twin, grinning evilly. And he was rewarded and quite pleased when he saw a faint blush paint his brother's cheeks. _Bingo._

"Absolutely not," Haruhi immediately rebutted the idea. Hikaru looked affronted at Haruhi's quick response and Kaoru continued to smirk.

Well, that was something new. Maybe he didn't want to face Kyouya, but he really couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease his brother. "Saa, Ka-o-ru," Kaoru drawled, slipping back into 'Hikaru''s persona, "We better start running if we don't want Kyouya-sempai and Tono on our asses about being late."

Hikaru also snapped back into character and they grinned at each other before grabbing either of Haruhi's arms and dragged her out of the classroom. Club today was definitely going to be nothing short of interesting.

* * *

True to Hikaru's prediction, Tamaki was ranting and raving when the trio walked into the Third Music Room five minutes late. The blond immediately started wailing on about how Haruhi's virtue was tainted because of the devilish twins and Daddy was much upset. Kaoru (as Hikaru) brushed it off and said nonchalantly that Haruhi was the one who had waited for them (which was true to a certain extent). This sent the host king into a new tantrum which the Hitachiins quickly tuned out.

"Naa, Kaoru," Kaoru said, turning to his twin, "Don't you think that Tono is a little in over his head?"

"Isn't he always?" Hikaru replied.

"Well, that's true."

"I guess he's just an idiot," they chorused together.

And thus Tamaki was sent to his brooding corner.

"Hikaru, Kaoru," the voice that Kaoru was dreading to hear came sailing in from behind them.

They turned in unison and sure enough, Kyouya was standing there in his usual poised demeanor, clipboard in hand and the light glinting off of his glasses. "I beg you not to lower Tamaki's proficiency lest I make you pay the difference if need be."

"And why would Tono's proficiency be lowered by us calling him an idiot?" they asked together, "We do it all the time."

"Nevertheless, any loss in profit will be charged to the both of you."

Kaoru snorted in true Hikaru-like manner, but what came out of his mouth was far from something his brother would say: "I wonder, is it really the _profit _you're worried about or Tono's _proficiency_." Kaoru shrugged, "Sounds like a bunch if crap, if you ask me. Or," he glared up at Kyouya, feeling bold, "Perhaps it's something else."

Kyouya's glasses flashed and everyone shuddered, but Kaoru stood firm, "Watch where you step, Hitachiin."

_As should you, _Kaoru thought, but all he did was incline his chin in defiance. He watched Kyouya stalk away and take his usual table with his laptop and notebook. There was a deafening silence as the rest of the host club members stared at him in awe.

"Wow, Hika-chan!" Honey piped up, "That was really brave of you to stand up to Kyou-chan like that!"

Kaoru forced an awkward smile but before he could say anything, Hikaru pulled him off to the side. "Kaoru, are you crazy?" Hikaru hissed low enough so no one else could hear, "You do know that Kyouya-sempai can completely screw us over, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure that he wouldn't want to screw either of us," Kaoru muttered, "Now that he has Tono."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Kaoru grinned, "I was just joking, don't worry about it."

"Joking?" Hikaru frowned, "You shouldn't 'joke' with Kyouya-sempai. He won't take it the same way Tono would."

Kaoru sighed, the adrenaline slowly disappearing from his bloodstream, "All right, I got it Hikaru." He patted Hikaru's shoulder to placate him, "Let's just do this, okay?"

Hikaru looked at him skeptically for a moment before he relented, though Kaoru could tell that he wasn't satisfied with any of his answers. His twin grabbed a hold of his hand, twining their fingers together and led him to the couches and sat him down without saying a word.

Now that the moment was over, Kaoru was in as a deep a shock as the rest of the club; why had he shown such animosity towards Kyouya? For some reason, the mentions of 'profit', especially since it was in reference to Tamaki, set him off. He was bitter, _jealous_ even. But he shouldn't have been; Kyouya uses anyone, _everyone_ for his own benefit. Kaoru knew this. And yet he had the gall to imply the change of relationship between Tamaki and Kyouya, even _insult_ the Shadow King. Surely, he must be touched in the head.

_Ah, but you already are for falling in love with your twin._

But he wasn't in love with Hikaru anymore. He groaned softly, massaging his temples; great, now he had a headache. What the hell was wrong with him? Just this morning, he had sworn to let it be and give up, aiming to act as if nothing had happened, simply to be _Kaoru._ There was nothing to it if Kyouya had who he wanted; it wasn't Kaoru's problem. So why did he get so angry? There was no reason for him to do so. _Well fuck._ He just failed his acting test.

"Kaoru," Hikaru jabbed him in the side, "Look sharp."

He did, and he realized that the girls had already begun to file in; now wasn't the time for such thoughts (more like _never_). "Well, _Kaoru,_" he stressed, grinning at his older brother, "Let's give them a show."

Hikaru smirked, "Let's."

* * *

Kaoru was having a little too much fun being Hikaru. He felt a thrill run through him as he played seme and he could tell that Hikaru was a little uneasy at such a dramatic change in interest. Usually Kaoru would act 'Hikaru' a little more subdued than Hikaru actually was but this time, Kaoru was much more aggressive and was really getting into the part. Granted, the girls loved how 'Hikaru' (played by Kaoru) was being so forward and that 'Kaoru' (played by Hikaru) was getting overly flustered by the attention 'Hikaru' was paying him, and this guaranteed no loss in profit due to 'lowered proficiency rates'.

That's what Kaoru kept telling himself throughout their acts, at least. In actuality, it was a sort of subtle revenge against the Shadow King. Revenge against what, Kaoru wasn't too sure, but he was enjoying himself while doing it so he supposed it didn't really matter.

All right, so maybe Kaoru _did _know why he was doing it: he was pissed. It wasn't just the fact that Kyouya had a stick up his ass when it came to money, nor was it simply the fact that he had slept with Tamaki (though Kaoru really had no right to be mad about the latter since he and Kyouya weren't a couple to begin with). Kaoru was pissed because he thought that, over the past few months he had spent in Kyouya's company, he knew the 'true' Kyouya; a Kyouya who was actually kind-hearted and loyal, honest and forgiving. But he wasn't. He wasn't he wasn't he wasn't.

Kaoru was so goddamn irritated because Kyouya had more of a mask than Kaoru did and all of his misgivings of Kyouya actually being _human _had been thrown back in his face.

He was irritated because he thought that he had _broken down_ that mask of Kyouya's only to be proved dreadfully wrong.

He was irritated because Kyouya managed to pull him into the tangle of lies and deceit of a typical Ootori without him even noticing.

But above all, despite all of this, he was irritated because _he_ wanted to be the center of Kyouya's attention; he wanted Kyouya to care for him, worry for him, and maybe if it was even possible, _love_ him.

Damnit, he was selfish. And regardless of knowing that he had no chance whatsoever, Kaoru couldn't stop himself from hoping.

This was the only way he could think of to retaliate. It was childish and absolutely ridiculous, but he did it anyway.

Because Kaoru was in love.

He was in love with a fucking Ootori.

Well, he practically just dug his own grave, didn't he?

* * *

Hikaru was peeved. Since this morning, Kaoru had been acting strangely and he had refrained himself from asking all the questions that plagued his mind, as per Haruhi's 'training'. He could barely stand not inquiring his brother as to what was wrong and this, this overzealous acting spree, was more than enough to send Hikaru over the edge. Nevertheless, Hikaru kept a firm grip on his self-control with immense difficulty and vowed to at least question his twin a _little _when they got home; not knowing was driving him mad.

Especially since it was quite obvious that Kaoru's unnatural behavior had something to do with Kyouya. Intermittingly, when Kaoru would give him a break from his shameless flirting, he would stare at Kyouya across the room. What had happened between the two of them? Kaoru had a _lot _of guts to say what he did to the Shadow King and Hikaru was absolutely floored when he heard those words come out of his twin's mouth. He was playing with fire. No, forget the fire, Kaoru was frickin' playing with the _devil_. Who knows what Kyouya could do with his entourage?

Even Kaoru's offhanded comment on how he was simply 'joking' threw Hikaru for a loop. _He _was usually the one who would act rashly, not Kaoru. And this was the _Shadow King_ they were dealing with; he was sure that if anyone so much as said a single word out of place in front of Kyouya, whoever that person was would be packing his bags and saying goodbye to , Kaoru hadn't so much as _flinched _when Kyouya had glared at him. It was as if. . . Kaoru _knew_. Knew what?

Gods, all this thinking was giving him a migraine.

"Kaoru-kun?"

Hikaru snapped out of his reverie, realizing that their customers were looking at him worriedly. Even Kaoru had a hint of concern in his eyes. Had he really been spacing out for that long? Damn. "Sorry," he said in Kaoru's timid voice, giving the girls a sheepish smile, "I was daydreaming a little. I didn't mean to ignore you, I apologize."

"Well, you know," Kaoru purred, leaning in close, "Surely you could wait until later and you wouldn't even have to daydream, Kaoru."

Kaoru had wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted his chin up so their lips were mere centimeters apart and the girls barely managed to suppress a squeal of excitement.

Oh, dear Gods, Kaoru was being _much_ too assertive for his liking. _It's just an act, it's just an act, _Hikaru thought frantically to himself. "Hikaru!" he said turning away, not even having to force a blush, "It's embarrassing. . ."

The awkwardness (for Hikaru at least) was broken by a low tenor, "Ladies, I'm afraid that your time is up." Hikaru glanced up and saw Kyouya smiling politely at the girls who twittered away without complaint. Then he turned to look down at them, "You're awfully bold today, Kaoru," he remarked calmly and Hikaru noticed that Kyouya wasn't looking at him as he should have been (he had been playing his part flawlessly), but at _Kaoru_. Since when was Kyouya able to tell them apart?

"What are you talking about?" Hikaru managed to ask, sporting his best 'Kaoru' voice.

Kyouya spared him a brief glance but his attentions turned back to Kaoru. "A word, if you please."

Kaoru simply stared at the Shadow King, his expression unreadable. "I'm afraid not, sempai," he finally said, "Wouldn't want to lose any profit, after all."

Hikaru gawked, dumbfounded; that was the _second_ time Kaoru had stood up to Kyouya without even batting an eye. What the hell was going on?

Kyouya's glasses flashed again and to Hikaru's surprise, he backed off, "As you wish." He returned to his usual seat, idly typing away at his laptop as if Kaoru hadn't just word-slapped him in the face.

"Kaoru. . .?" Hikaru started tentatively.

"Not now," his brother replied, and Hikaru noticed, just for a brief moment, a touch of pain flicker through those golden eyes.

"All right." And he resigned himself to flounder in the dark for awhile longer.

* * *

Club had ended and Hikaru was eager to head home. Kaoru's former 'not now' was a subtle sign to Hikaru that he could interrogate Kaoru only when they were safely in their room. Which was why he was rushing through his cleaning duties as quickly as he could. He would've just left right after club, dragging Kaoru with him but he didn't want to impose the wrath of the third Ootori son. He wasn't his brother, who could apparently stand up to the Shadow King shamelessly; quite frankly, Hikaru would've pissed his pants if The Glare was intended for him. _Twice_, even. He shuddered, just thinking about it.

"Kaoru, hurry up!" the younger twin called, still in his 'Hikaru' persona.

Hikaru suddenly had an idea, which would hopefully have him still alive by the end of it. "You go on ahead, Hikaru," he replied, "I've still got some stuff to do."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow questioningly and Hikaru simply smiled and shooed him away with a gesture of his hand, telling his brother to take Haruhi with him. Reluctantly, his twin left, an arm draped lazily over Haruhi's shoulder. Hikaru sighed and surveyed the room, realizing with surprise that everyone else had left, too, save for Kyouya who was still glued to his laptop. When the hell did that happen? He shrugged it off; it only made this easier to execute.

He made himself comfortable on one of the couches closest to where Kyouya was and waited. Hikaru didn't have to wait long before Kyouya spoke up.

"What do you want, Hikaru?"

"Something happened between you and Kaoru," he replied; it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"And if something did? What are you going to do about it?" Kyouya continued to type, not even gracing the older twin with a glance.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed, "I'm simply looking after my brother and I want to know what happened."

Kyouya sighed and adjusted his glasses, "I assure you that I, too, haven't the slightest idea as to why Kaoru acted the way he did today."

Hikaru wasn't convinced, "And you expect me to trust you on that statement?"

The Shadow King looked up, his eyes icy and Hikaru almost lost his nerve. "It is solely up to you whether or not you want to take my word as the truth. I will not deign to convince you otherwise."

"It's just. . ." Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly shy, "I'm worried," he admitted.

"Then that makes two of us."

Hikaru cocked an eyebrow, "Never knew you worried about us _personally_, sempai."

"If only you knew, Hikaru," he said softly, "I'd wager you'd be quite surprised."

"I'm surprised _now._ What the hell, even _you're _acting weird," he stood up, unable to sit still anymore. Gods, did Kyouya have to be so _vague_? He was getting annoyed with all his indifferent responses.

Kyouya turned back to his laptop, "Hikaru, I do not wish to further this conversation."

"You know something, don't you?" the redhead glared, advancing towards Kyouya.

"Hikaru—"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER?!" Hikaru finally lost his temper, slamming his hands on the table.

Silence for a moment, then a barely audible, "I don't _know_."

Hikaru's eyes widened at the tone of the brunet's voice; it sounded almost. . . broken. But that was impossible. Kyouya _never_ showed such emotion. Never.

Hikaru slowly backed away and clenched his fists, his palms throbbing from the impact with the table. "All right, fine," he said complacently, his frustration slowly dispersing. He turned and started towards the door.

"Hikaru," Kyouya called, stopping the twin from leaving the room. "Tell your brother that I have done nothing to acquire his animosity."

"Why don't you go and tell him that yourself," Hikaru sneered over his shoulder, not quite willing to let go of his own anger.

"Because, as you know, he probably won't allow me anywhere near him," he looked at Hikaru with slightly less guarded eyes. Gods, what the hell was up with today? Everyone was acting so fucking strange.

"Well, that's your problem, isn't it? Not mine."

Kyouya hid his eyes behind the glare of his glasses, "So it is." He turned back to his laptop again, "Until tomorrow then, Hikaru."

And Hikaru left, more confused than ever.

* * *

The ride home was silent, and Kaoru couldn't help but wonder why Hikaru looked so distant, so thoughtful. It was strange to see Hikaru in such a state; he was staring out the window and hadn't said a word since they had gotten in the limousine.

"Kaoru," Hikaru spoke up, startling the younger one a little.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to tell me what's wrong."

Hikaru hadn't averted his gaze from the scenery outside, but it didn't mean that he wasn't adamant about it. Just the fact that Hikaru was so distracted made Kaoru realize that his twin was dead serious. Hikaru had even _requested_ Kaoru to tell him what was wrong instead of simply demanding Kaoru to spit it out and that in itself distressed him.

"Yeah, okay."

And they didn't speak again for the rest of the trip.

When they arrived at their mansion, Kaoru was a little nervous; he would tell Hikaru the truth, of course, but he didn't have to tell _all of it_, right? He really didn't want to mention anything about his former feelings for his brother as it would make their current relationship strained and Kaoru didn't want that. He sighed, following Hikaru into their room; no more time to think about it.

They sat side by side on the bed, neither of them making a move to start the conversation. Finally, Kaoru spoke up.

"What. . . do you want to know?" A stupid question, as he already knew the answer to it.

"Everything."

So Kaoru told him everything—how he and Kyouya had first slept together during the trip to the hot springs, how they had continuously went back to each other for more, how Kaoru slowly started to see the 'other side' of Kyouya, how he had unintentionally fallen in love with him, why he had lashed out the way he did at club—but he didn't say a word of his own forbidden love for his twin. He was taking that particular secret with him to the grave. When he finished telling his story, it was well into the night and his stomach took that moment to voice its protest.

He blushed and grinned embarrassedly and Hikaru simply laughed, "Let's go get something to eat."

Kaoru smiled, relieved that Hikaru wasn't going to berate him then and there. Maybe Haruhi really _had_ rubbed off on him. He would have to thank the girl tomorrow.

While they ate, they were still quiet, but it was no longer strained like it was during the ride home. It was a subdued sort of silence, like Hikaru was truly mulling over all that Kaoru had told him. He wondered what Hikaru thought of it but he was sure that he would soon find out, once Hikaru had his thoughts in order. Well, as much in order as Hikaru could make them. It _was_ Hikaru, after all.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"What the hell are you smiling about?"

"Huh? Nothing," but he failed to make the smile disappear.

Hikaru laughed, "You're such a liar."

His grin only widened.

* * *

Indeed, Hikaru _had_ been contemplating very hard on the massive bulk of information that Kaoru had just dumped on him and he couldn't help but wonder—just _what_ had Kaoru been thinking? He should've known that Kyouya saw people simply as pawns to meet a greater end and wouldn't hesitate in any way whatsoever to use them to their greatest capacity. It may seem cruel and heartless, but it was the truth as far as Hikaru was concerned. And Kaoru had _willingly_ sought comfort—from what? From who? For what purpose?—in the Shadow King's arms, time and time again.

His brother wasn't stupid; he knew that well enough, but why?

And though he now knew Kaoru's side of the story, what was Kyouya's? Judging by what had happened between them after club it seemed that Kyouya had no idea why Kaoru was upset. Moreover, Kyouya had even told Hikaru that he had done nothing to gain Kaoru's anger. But how could that be when Kaoru had _seen_ him and Tamaki together? Hikaru frowned. Something didn't add up, and he knew that Kaoru wouldn't lie to him. So what was missing? And why did Kyouya sound almost _broken_ when he admitted that he didn't know what was wrong with Kaoru?

Good Gods, thinking this deeply gave him a headache.

"Hey, Kaoru?" he asked much later when they lay in bed for the night.

"Mmm?"

"Why did you go to him?"

An intake of air. Hikaru waited. "I was frustrated," came the delayed answer.

"What does that mean?" he asked, confused.

"Exactly as it sounds like, Hikaru."

Hikaru growled but didn't push him. "And why did you keep going back?"

A pause. "I don't know."

Realizing that he wasn't going to get anymore answers out of his twin, Hikaru rolled over and closed his eyes. Maybe something new will reveal itself in the morning. Hikaru was nearly asleep when Kaoru spoke again.

"Ne, Hikaru."

This time it was Hikaru who responded with a sleepy "Mmm?"

"I've been a bit selfish; I haven't asked you about your relationship with Haruhi."

"What're you talkin' 'bout?" he asked, his words slurring together. "Nuthin' I can' handle." He vaguely heard his brother chuckle before he succumbed to slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Ootori mansion, Kyouya had to deal with his own turmoil. But he didn't have the grace of a brother to lend an ear to him. So he suffered alone.

He paced the lower level of his room (something that he never did which proved how distressed he was) contemplating, worrying. Kaoru had acted strangely throughout club and it had shocked him, something that the Hitachiin seemed to be quite proficient at. And despite their change in roles, Kyouya could still tell which twin was which; Kaoru was bitter, _defiant_ and Kyouya would have exacted his usual sort of punishment on the twin but he didn't have the heart to do so.

Kyouya snorted. Heart? Why yes, he did have a heart. First it went out to Tamaki who hadn't the slightest clue as to what he held; it had been trampled over, mended, and ripped out more times than one and Kyouya had endured because it was _Tamaki_, the fucking heir to the Suoh estates. He growled, running a frustrated hand through his hair. And he had loved, him, he had.

_Kaoru. . ._

What the hell was so goddamn special about that twin? He was obnoxious, selfish, a prankster, childish, and absolutely infuriating. And yet he had felt genuine hurt when Kaoru had rebuffed him in club. _Why_ that was so and _why_ Kaoru did such a thingwas burgeoning on his mind.

He had told Hikaru the truth: he had done nothing to deserve such treatment. Frowning, he crossed his arms over his chest; unless he had done something unknowingly to upset the younger Hitachiin. But what could that possibly be?

Kyouya pinched the bridge of his nose, throwing his glasses askew, and sighed. Why did it _matter_ so much to him, anyway? It wasn't simply for the profit in aligning himself with the Hitachiin family, he realized, but it was because he truly _cared_. Having Kaoru glare at him like that had pained him and despite all of Kaoru's flaws, he was a good person. Kaoru was refreshing to be around, whereas Tamaki was. . . a headache waiting to happen.

He let out a humorless laugh just as his cell phone started to ring. Digging the contraption out of his bag, he glanced briefly at the caller ID; well, speak of the devil. There was nothing to it but to answer.

"Tamaki," he said curtly into the phone.

"Kyouya!" the blond whined, "I need help with my homework!"

The brunet couldn't help but crack a small smile. Typical Tamaki.

"All right, what is it?" he said, a little glad for the distraction. History, math, English, all of them he could handle, but when it came to emotions, Kyouya was as lost as anyone thrown into a labyrinth.

After a few minutes of Kyouya rattling off answers to Tamaki, there was silence for awhile and only the faint scratching of Tamaki's pen disrupted it. "Kyouya. . ." he suddenly sounded meek and a bit afraid. "About. . . about the other day. . ."

Ah. So he _did _remember what happened. "It's fine, Tamaki. Just forget it," said Kyouya before Tamaki could get another word in. He didn't want to be reminded about that fiasco.

"Are—are you sure?"

"Yes, now don't ever mention it again."

"O-Okay."

There was an awkward pause that followed and Kyouya vaguely wondered if the blond had hung up on him. But he was proved wrong when a tentative voice sailed into his ear again.

"Did you. . . notice that the twins were acting a little strangely today?"

What the hell kind of question was that? He was an _Ootori_. Of _course_ he noticed! Moreover, it had been so painfully obvious that all of the club members knew. But Kyouya indulged the blond, "Yes, I did. What of it?"

"Well, that Hikaru, for one!" Tamaki started, slipping back into his usual character. "How dare he talk back to mother like that! He _defied_ you and-and he was being insolent!"

Kyouya had to choke down a snort. It was actually _Kaoru_ who had been 'insolent' but Kyouya wasn't about to tell Tamaki that. He would complain even more if he found out Kyouya could always tell the twins apart and hadn't helped him in the 'which-one-is-Hikaru?' game. "I can deal with the twins, Tamaki."

"But you know," he said, a little subdued, "Hikaru seemed _jealous_."

Jealous? What was Tamaki on about? Kyouya didn't say anything and waited for Tamaki to continue.

"Well, remember the time at Karuizawa and Haruhi's friend, Arai? He acted the same way, didn't he?"

Kyouya frowned; well, yes, but Kaoru was always the more level-headed one. And even if Kaoru _was _acting like Hikaru during club, it was clearly _Kaoru_ behind the mask who had challenged Kyouya. So what did Hikaru's lashing out at Arai have to do with _Kaoru_ and _jealousy_? As far as he was concerned, Kaoru's hostility had completely blindsided him.

"Yes, he did," he finally answered, "What are you implying, Tamaki?"

"I don't know, mother, you tell me. He was the one giving _you _a hard time. Though, come to think of it, it might just be another one of those twins' evil plots."

No, no Kyouya could tell that they weren't planning anything since Hikaru seemed quite overwhelmed at Kaoru's actions. Plus, Hikaru had confronted him after club just to question him on the disunity between his brother and Kyouya. But. . . now that the idea of Kaoru being _jealous_ was inserted into his mind as a possibility, Kyouya couldn't completely disregard the thought. Maybe Tamaki wasn't a complete airhead after all.

* * *

The week passed extremely strained and Hikaru did what he could to help his brother out. He still couldn't find the missing piece of the puzzle, but he was determined to unravel this mystery. It gave him something to do, too. He had told Haruhi bits of his problem, only grazing over the details, and Haruhi wasn't very enthused to help him. Regardless, Hikaru dragged Haruhi around looking for 'clues' in order to discover the truth.

Hikaru had watched both Kyouya and Karou like a hawk and sometimes even stole glances at Tamaki, though that was probably a mistake as Tamaki was now a bit disturbed as to why the older Hitachiin twin was paying him so much attention. Ah well, Hikaru had a sneaking suspicion that Tamaki held the final piece and it didn't hurt to try and persuade the host king into relinquishing the facts.

He had tried to coax Tamaki into telling him about his relationship with Kyouya, but Hikaru wasn't exactly a master of subtly and Tamaki had continuously avoided any question Hikaru threw at him. So much for that plan.

There was heightened tension the following week and the rest of the host club as well as the customers really started to notice. Hikaru was nearly at his wits end and only Haruhi could prevent him from doing anything stupid. Finally, when Hikaru and Haruhi were on another one of their outings (though Hikaru was loath to leave Kaoru alone in his time of need) Haruhi said something that would alter the course of Hikaru's 'investigation'.

"Are you sure that Kaoru actually _saw_ them together?" she was getting exasperated with this whole thing.

"Well, yeah! Of course he—" Hikaru broke off and he suddenly had an epiphany. Kaoru had _said_ that he had seen Tamaki and Kyouya together and he had also said that Kyouya had pushed Tamaki down on the bed. But. . . what if it hadn't gone that far? Holy shit, that would explain why Kyouya seemed so hurt by Kaoru's coldness towards him! And if Kyouya stopped before taking Tamaki. . . did that mean. . . ?

Woah.

"Ohmigosh, Haruhi, you're a frickin' genius!"

"Huh? What?"

Hikaru laughed and pulled the petite girl into a hug, ignoring her indignant cry. Though he didn't particularly _like _Kyouya, nor did he particularly approve of Kaoru's choice in lover—or whatever they were. Are?—but he couldn't leave this as it was. Kaoru was _miserable_ and Hikaru would do anything if it would bring that carefree smile back to his dear brother's face. He simply had to find a way to clear up this misunderstanding between them. And he would.

* * *

He had the perfect plan to force Kyouya and Kaoru alone together; all he needed was for Tamaki to want to play commoner games again. And that was where Haruhi came into play. Though she didn't really want to participate in the 'patch up Kyouya and Kaoru's relationship', she conceded when Hikaru promised her a generous helping of ootoro if she played her part well. So Haruhi dropped hints to Tamaki and by Saturday, Tamaki was absolutely gushing.

They were playing hide-and-seek and thanks to Hikaru's careful manipulation, Kyouya was 'it'. Though Kyouya didn't seem too happy with the turn of events. When he started to count, Hikaru quickly grabbed a hold of Kaoru's hand and dragged him out of the courtyard and back into the building.

"Hikaru, aren't we supposed to stay in the courtyard?"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Hikaru skipped through the halls. So far, everything was working perfectly and Hikaru now had to rely on Haruhi to keep up her end of the plan. He continued to pull Kaoru along until he got to a very secluded dead end.

"Hikaru. . ." Kaoru threatened.

"Ah ha, I guess I forgot where I was going," Hikaru lied, "But I suppose this is as good a place as any."

"I think we should go back to the courtyard," he turned to leave but Hikaru quickly stopped him.

"No, no! Everyone's actually hiding in the building somewhere; y'know, to throw Kyouya-sempai off. It's fine, trust me!"

Kaoru sighed, "All right, fine."

Hikaru opened the door on the right which turned out to be an unused classroom. "I doubt anyone'll be able to find us here," he grinned. He pushed Kaoru in before him and closed the door. There was a faint _click_ and Hikaru was satisfied.

"Hikaru?" his twin's muffled voice came through the door and Hikaru had to pat himself on the back at his handiwork. "Hikaru!" now it was out of irritation.

"Sorry, Kaoru, but this is for your own good," he said through the door.

"Wha—? What the hell do you mean 'for my own good'?! Let me out, damnit!"

Kaoru started to pound on the door and Hikaru jumped a little. My, he sure was feisty. "Trust me, dear brother," he reiterated.

"How can a freaking trust you when you locked me in this room?!"

Hikaru laughed, and started to back away, "Kaoru, you really have no choice in the matter, now do you?"

Kaoru's screams followed Hikaru down the hallway and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. No matter, though; surely Haruhi had done her part and Kyouya was already on his way here. Everything would work out, he was sure of it.

* * *

Kaoru should have known that Hikaru was up to something. But it was a little too late to say 'should have' when he was locked in a dusty old classroom with the windows rusted shut and no way to get out. He silently fumed in the corner.

Though, he was a bit surprised that a room like this even _existed _at Ouran. He thought that all the rooms would be maintained immaculately and yet this one seemed as if it had been neglected for _years_. Kaoru sighed and resigned himself to waiting for someone to bail him out.

It had been nearly two weeks since The Incident and Kaoru was faring only marginally better than his first confrontation with Kyouya. He no longer lashed out at the brunet but instead ignored him all together. However, the way he was acting eventually made the rest of the club suspicious, even the customers sensed that something was wrong. Kaoru didn't really care if he was being 'normal' or not anymore. It took too much energy to keep up his mask and he was _tired_.

His chest ached no matter what he did and he found himself longing for Kyouya's company despite everything. Whenever this happened, he grabbed a hold of Hikaru (and Haruhi was dragged along) and his twin helped him to distract himself. He knew that he was being childish, but he couldn't help it.

Besides, he figured that if he abstained from seeing or talking to Kyouya he'd be able to get over this pathetic broken heart faster. But it was kind of hard, being as he was still obligated to go to club after school everyday. Since he couldn't completely cut Kyouya out of his life, he at least stopped talking to him. It had helped, but only a little. Actually, Kaoru thought that it made everything worse.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck; this wasn't good at all. Maybe he ought to try harder in acting 'normal'. After all, Kyouya would probably hunt him down eventually and scold him for bringing down the club's profit. Kaoru scowled. Kyouya could stick whatever _profit_ he made up his—

_Click_

Kaoru scrambled up off the floor, ready to give Hikaru a firm lashing but his words died before they even made it out of his mouth.

"Kaoru." Kyouya stood in the doorway, calm, collected, so goddamn handsome.

The redhead stiffened, "Sempai."

"Hikaru and Haruhi said something about the door locking on you and sent me over."

Kaoru growled; like hell the door accidentally locked on him! That bastard! He had planned this from the beginning! Hikaru was _so_ dead when Kaoru got his hands on him.

"Well thanks. It won't happen again. Now if you'll excuse me. . ." Kaoru moved towards the door but Kyouya stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

"Kaoru, I believe we need to talk."

The Hitachiin glared, "I don't have anything to say to you."

"But I do, and you aren't leaving until I'm finished."

Kaoru huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Fine, speak." Inwardly, Kaoru was terrified. What did Kyouya want? Was he going to rub in the fact that he no longer needed him as a 'fuck buddy' and send him on his way? Gods, he didn't know how he would react if that were so.

"It seems that I've done something to upset you. Enlighten me as to what I did wrong, if you please."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he averted his gaze childishly.

"Don't play dumb, Kaoru," Kyouya's glasses flashed. "I have done nothing to merit this hostility."

"Are you kidding me?" _Merit? _ How dare he use that word! Kaoru snapped; he was already emotionally hashed so it didn't take much to break him. "Don't lie to me, damnit! I _saw_ you, okay? You and Tono! And you seemed quite _friendly_ with him."

"What—" his eyes had widened considerably, but Kaoru barreled on.

"And now you've come to tell me that you don't need me anymore, am I right? Only keep those close to you if they're of proper benefit." Kaoru laughed, hysterical, "Well fine! I understand. It's not like I _cared_ for you or anything." What the hell was he saying? He was being so blatantly obvious.

"Kaoru," Kyouya took a step forward, "you're crying."

Fuck, he was. Kaoru wiped savagely at his tears. The Hitachiin made for the door but he wasn't quick enough; Kyouya grabbed his upper arm and pulled him back, slamming him against the wall. A hiss of pain escaped him, uninhibited.

Kyouya swore under his breath and quickly released him, backing away. "I'm sorry," he said softly, shocking Kaoru deeply.

"Sorry for what?" he managed to say weakly. "An Ootori isn't the type to apologize," he added a little more forcefully.

The brunet sighed, running a hand through his hair, "It seems that we've had a misunderstanding."

"What the hell do you mean?" Kaoru was shaking in fear and from his emotional outburst. What was this? Kyouya wasn't acting normally; what exactly was on the Ootori's mind now?

"This incident you are referring to. Was it two weeks ago?"

Kaoru looked away and didn't answer.

The brunet sighed, "Kaoru, look at me." He made no move to oblige to Kyouya's request but he startled when he felt gently deft fingers lift his chin up so that they were eye to eye. "Your eyes give you away, Kaoru."

"What?" he whispered, his defenses cracking just by being this close to Kyouya, just by looking into _those eyes_ again.

"I didn't sleep with him."

"What?" he said so softly he could barely even hear himself.

"I admit that I did kiss him, but it didn't go any further than that." He cocked his head to the side, thoughtful, "Actually, I kicked him out of the house after I came to my senses."

"You're—"

"Not lying," Kyouya interrupted him. "Please understand, Kaoru, that I will not lie to you."

Kaoru shifted so his eyes were hidden behind his bangs, "How can I know that?"

Silence, and Kaoru wanted to laugh; of course Kyouya wouldn't have an answer to that. He was just about to say so, but he suddenly found his lips preoccupied. His eyes widened and he could feel his body begin to melt against Kyouya's. Gods, if this kept up, he probably wouldn't be able to think properly.

He felt Kyouya press closer so that his body was flush against him, his tongue gently running over Kaoru's lips, asking for permission. And Kaoru could do nothing but give it to him. He had missed this so much and when their tongues met, he gasped in shocked pleasure. Kaoru fisted his hands into Kyouya's shirt, needing something to anchor him to reality. He whimpered into Kyouya's mouth, overwhelmed by so much _feeling_.

Kyouya pulled away leaving Kaoru breathless and flushed. "Because I love you, Hitachiin Kaoru."

He shivered, "You—"

Kyouya kissed him lightly on the forehead, "If it weren't for Tamaki's rude awakening, I probably would have never realized it," he let out an amused chuckle, "I suppose I owe him a 'thank you'."

"I—" Kaoru was completely speechless. Was this really happening? No way was this happening; this was _Kyouya_, damnit, and he did _not_ just say 'I love you' to him.

"I do not know when or how it happened, but you have the rare privilege to say that you have caught the Shadow King's heart," he smiled wanly. "Will you have me, Kaoru?"

Oh Gods, Kaoru was _gone_; he hadn't wanted to believe him, hadn't wanted his heart to forgive, but something. . . Kyouya. . . _love_? "Sempai," he managed to squeak before lunging forward and capturing Kyouya's lips possessively; Kyouya's previous kiss was enough evidence for Kaoru that the brunet meant what he said. Never had Kyouya kissed him so deeply, so passionately, so _lovingly_ before.

Kyouya accepted him into his embrace and crushed the redhead's body even closer to him as Kaoru wound his arms around Kyouya's neck. They didn't stay there long, and Kaoru's hands started to wander, pulling at Kyouya's shirt, un-tucking it and relishing in the feel of Kyouya's skin under his fingers again. Kyouya groaned when Kaoru massaged a particularly sensitive spot on his abdomen. When his hands dropped to Kyouya's belt buckle, Kyouya stopped him.

"Not here," he breathed, breaking away from the kiss, "I want to make love to you properly."

Kaoru blushed heatedly and ducked his head, hiding his eyes. "Sempai—"

"Call me Kyouya," he interrupted, nipping the redhead's neck, "At least when we're alone."

He lifted his head a little and smiled demurely, "All right," and he leaned in for another kiss.

When they parted, Kyouya reached for Kaoru's hand and twined their fingers together. "Come," he pulled the Hitachiin gently towards the door and Kaoru followed him willingly.

"Kyouya," he faltered a little; it felt strange to say Kyouya's name without attaching some sort of honorific after it. The brunet looked at him questioningly. Kaoru eyed Kyouya's disheveled appearance, "Aren't you going to—"

He smirked, "No."

Kaoru's eyes widened, then he burst out laughing. "Kyouya!" he forced out between breaths of air. He couldn't get enough of this warm, fuzzy feeling and Kaoru wasn't ever going to let it go. Never again was he going to doubt Kyouya's words, because the Shadow King's heart was truly something to treasure; he didn't give it away to _anybody, _after all, and Kaoru should have known that Kyouya wasn't the type to lie about something this important. Kaoru felt his heart lift at the thought; _he _held the Shadow King's heart. Not Tamaki, but Kaoru.

Kyouya drew Kaoru out of his happy stupor, tugging him into the hallway, , "Let's go, Kaoru."

His mirth had died down and he smiled up at his lover, "Yes, let's."

* * *

Just around the corner, Hikaru and Haruhi watched the proceedings silently. Hikaru looked quite pleased with himself and Haruhi a bit bored yet still slightly amused. He turned to Haruhi and grinned, "Mission accomplished."

Haruhi shook her head and hauled Hikaru to his feet. "We'd better get out of here before they realize we've been watching them. Kyouya-sempai might add to my debt."

"Nah, it's cool," Hikaru laughed, but he followed the girl anyway. "I'm glad everything worked out, though."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said that your plan was _flawless_."

"Well, yeah, but it also depended on what they would say, y'know, and if Kaoru would actually _believe_ Kyouya-sempai."

The brunette sighed, wondering why she was saddled with _this_ twin. Though, she stole a glance at the Hitachiin, and smiled a little; she supposed she didn't really mind.

* * *

_**Omake**_

The following morning, Kyouya slowly came out of slumber, warm, content, and surprisingly relaxed. But of course he knew the reason why. His onyx eyes opened and he looked down at the boy snoring lightly in his arms. He smiled and drew Kaoru closer to him, running his fingers through his lover's messy hair. Kyouya could definitely get used to this, waking up next to Kaoru, and waking up _functional_ instead of in a half-zombie-homicidal state. It felt nice. Very much so.

It was surprising that he was even _up_ this early, especially on a Sunday. Usually he'd be asleep well into the afternoon and if anyone tried to rouse him before then, he'd emanate an ominous purple aura which scared said idiot shitless. But waking up with the redhead in his arms was seemed to placate his early-morning-evilness. He softly pressed his lips against Kaoru's brow as his hand ran down the younger one's spine. Kaoru shivered, his eyelids fluttering. Kyouya was infinitely glad that they had cleared up the misunderstanding between them; he never wanted to _not _feel like this again.

The brunet made a mental note to himself to thank the elder Hitachiin twin; he knew that Hikaru was behind yesterday's (not-so) elaborate plan. If it weren't for Hikaru, Kyouya was sure that he and Kaoru wouldn't have spoken again for a long time. After all, both of them were the type to wait and watch. Though, Kaoru had proved in the last two weeks that he most definitely could be assertive if he wanted to be.

Kyouya nuzzled his nose into Kaoru's neck and whispered into the redhead's ear, "Kaoru." All he got in response was a grunt and Kaoru snuggling in closer to him. He laughed lightly. "Come, Kaoru, you must be hungry." They had skipped dinner last night in lieu of making love to each other and if he remembered correctly, Kaoru didn't eat lunch the previous day, either. Being an Ootori, he wouldn't allow his lover to take such improper care of his body.

"Hungry. . . ?" An amber eye opened lazily as a hand caressed Kyouya's abdomen, "Mmm, maybe a little," Kaoru leered seductively.

Oh dear Gods. "Not what I meant," Kyouya smacked Kaoru's hands away from dangerous territory and Kaoru pouted. "I'll call the maids to bring something."

Kaoru stretched cat-like and Kyouya couldn't resist placing a kiss on his collar bone. "Are you sure that's okay? Won't they tell your father?"

"It's fine. I wouldn't let you go for anything."

Kaoru chuckled, "So the great Ootori Kyouya is actually a romantic at heart, huh? Who would've thought."

"Hush, you," Kyouya swooped in for a kiss.

"Mmm, yes sir," Kaoru said once Kyouya released him.

"You keep that bit of information to yourself, understand?"

Kaoru laughed, "Of course."

* * *

When the maids came with two trays laden with food, Kyouya and Kaoru were sitting up in bed, the sheets covering them from the waist down, chatting amicably. Kyouya thanked them and deigned to say nothing else. They left silently but Kaoru was sure that they would be gossiping once they were out of ear-shot.

They continued to converse while they ate and Kaoru accidentally let slip that he had told his brother about Kyouya's love for Tamaki.

"So you found it all right to tell your brother about my former feelings for Tamaki, but you neglected to tell him your own?" Kyouya asked skeptically. "That hardly seems fair."

"Well your love for Tono was different! He's not _related_ to you! How would you react if you found out one of your brothers was in love with you? Wouldn't you, even if you are Ootori Kyouya, Mr. hiding-behind-a-cold-calculating-façade-is-my-specialty, freak out?"

"That," Kyouya wrinkled his nose in disgust while placing the empty food trays on the bedside table, "Is something completely different."

Kaoru laughed, "No, it's not!"

"Devilish twin," growled, "Do shut up, or I will find a way to _make _you."

Kaoru found himself liking it (maybe a little too much) when Kyouya used that nickname. Probably just as much as he liked Kyouya without his glasses, like he was now; he loved his eyes. "Go ahead," he grinned impishly, "Make me."

And Kyouya pounced, pinning Kaoru to the bed and ravishing his mouth. Kaoru willingly opened himself to Kyouya's tongue and pulled his lover closer, moaning. When Kyouya drew away, Kaoru started to giggle.

Kyouya raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled stifling his laughs, "I'm just insanely happy is all."

"Hmm," Kyouya leaned forward so their foreheads were touching, "Well, I'm glad that I am the cause of such happiness."

Kaoru wrapped his arms around Kyouya's neck and gave him a lingering kiss, "Always."

Kyouya smiled and captured the redhead's lips again. Kaoru sighed into his mouth, content.

Indeed, always.

* * *

(1) Taken directly from the UK scanlation group's chapter 33, page 19

**AN: **Hmm, okay, I'm hoping that I didn't rush anything. Though I'm sure some of you are thinking 'wtf do you mean 'rush'?! It's nearly 10K long!!' but I needed to get everyone's side of the story. Well, except for Tamaki 'cause I fail at writing in his POV (and I have no idea why he did it in the first place, haha). I'm also hoping that I didn't make any of them OOC. *worries* And on top of that, I'm also hoping that I tied up all loose ends.

So in other words, drop a review and tell me what you think! Are there questions that are still hanging in the air? Did I screw up on their characterizations? Was I _too _insightful? Any constructive criticism is welcomed. ^^

I actually had this awesome scene planned out to coincide with the title but I cut it out. Which actually kind of made me sad. Mmm, maybe I'll make it another omake thing for this. XD Or I'll just turn it into a one-shot that has nothing to do with this series. Nyah, we'll see.

I've also noticed, funnily enough, that I have no idea in what time frame this occurs in, in either the manga or the anime. *facepalms* That was poor planning on my part, my apologies. The third part at least obviously has to be after the Karuizawa incident. So it's safe to say that Kyouya and Kaoru were already sleeping with each other then but I don't know when all _this_ actually _happens. _I hope everyone overlooks that error just this once. 'Kayz? *sweats*

Another thing that I'm dreadfully curious about: did anyone out there already know what 'asphyxiation' meant before reading this/looking it up? XD I know, random question but hey.

In any case, Happy Birthday again to Ootori Kyouya. You get a Kaoru for a present. 8D

Review review review! Please and thank you!


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